TempleCon 2013 takes place in Warwick, R.I. It starts Friday and continues into Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Providence-Warwick. The three-day convention (established in 2006) has all sorts of cool stuff for you to check out, especially if you like board, card and miniatures games.

But there's so much more than games at TempleCon. The theme is "retro-futurism," sometimes called "steampunk." (Imagine the Victorian era crossed with science fiction, where steam-powered gadgets, such as ray guns, exist.)

That theme means there will be lots of folks dressed in cool handmade costumes, complete with brass goggles and whirling gears. But if that's not your thing, there are plenty of other options to do all weekend.

Personally, I go to play games with my friends. We stay up late, have some drinks, play a lot of games and generally just enjoy a weekend away from responsibility. And there is a game library with thousands of games that can be borrowed, so you don't even have to haul your own stuff down there.

There are also numerous tournaments, if you want to enjoy a more competitive weekend. Miniatures tournaments are offered for popular games, such as Warmachine, Hordes, Malifaux, Flames of War, Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy, Heavy Gear and Battletech, to name a few.

For card game tournaments you can get in on, there's Magic: The Gathering, and Vampire: The Eternal Struggle events running all weekend.

If role-playing games are your thing, there are tons of events where you can just show up and play.

They will include Pathfinder and Dungeons and Dragons fourth edition, Shadowrun, Marvel Superheroes, as well as older games like earlier editions of D&D and Gamma World.

There is also a video game room and demonstrations set up so you can learn a new board game or minis game. Vendors will also be there selling games and other goodies.

TempleCon has a large variety of events and seminars all weekend. There are artists and entertainers performing, as well as "liquor appreciation" events where you can learn more about wines, whiskeys and rums. The convention also has numerous authors and other guests.

A three-day pass is $55, and there are also options to purchase passes for single days. The Crowne Plaza itself is sold out for lodging, but there are other hotels nearby. For more information, go to templecon.org.

I hope to see you there.

Ian Clark's Pop Culture Club appears weekly in the New Hampshire Sunday News. Check out his podcast "Nerdherders" on iTunes or at www.3nerds.us and his books, "Prophecy of Shadows" and "Plains of the Past." His e-mail address is iclark@unionleader.com.